The Memoir of Brianna Baggins
by Nimrodel626
Summary: The story of the imaginary foster daughter of Frodo Baggins, who goes on the quest of the Ring. I still can't decide how some things will work out, so there is the slight chance that she doesn't go. Brianna falls in love with NOBODY. She does NOT fall in love with Aragorn, no matter how much it looks like it.
1. The beginning

My name is Brianna Baggins, foster-daughter of Frodo Baggins, close friend and counselor to the King Elessar, and one of the ten walkers. I have had strange adventures in my life. I have walked far and seen many things. Of these I do set down a full account. May Iluvatar attend me.

Chapter 1

It all began the day Gandalf the wizard found me lying by the roadside, on one of his many visits to the Shire, or so Frodo tells me. He was walking away from Bag End, deep in thought, when suddenly he heard my small cries. He picked me up, and turned back to Bag End to take me to Frodo.

Frodo was sitting on his door step after saying good bye to Gandalf. Wasn't he surprised to see Gandalf coming up the road again with a small gray bundle under his arm. Without allowing any time for surprise he handed me off to Frodo. "Call it John if a boy, Brianna if a girl." He said. Then down the hill he went, before the flabbergasted Frodo could so much as utter a Good Morning. He stood without moving for several minutes, before my weak whimpering roused him from his reverie.

"Hullo there," he said. "I suppose we must find out if you are a boy or a girl, shouldn't we?" I just smiled at him.

Obviously, I was a girl, as my name is Brianna. To make a long story slightly shorter than it looks like it's going to be, I grew up very happily in the Shire, which I believe is the best possible place to grow up in. I paddled in the Water, played on the Hill, and helped Sam with the gardening. A close friendship developed between us, Sam and I. Thus life went pleasantly for the first nine years of my life. I never saw Gandalf, save on that first day. He never visited the Shire; in fact, Frodo went as far as to mention that he thought Gandalf had given up all interest in Hobbits and the Shire. Before I go any farther, I think it is necessary to mention that I am of the race of Men, not of Hobbits. This was apparent as I was already the size of a full grown hobbit, and I had only seen nine summers. (My birthday is in April.) I will never forget what happened that memorable ninth birthday.

I was going to meet Sam, who was coming to a small birthday party I was having, in the garden at Bag End, when I saw one of the Big People coming up the hill. (I still called them that, as I was brought up to it, even though I am one of them.) This Big Person was tall, very tall he seemed to me, but then I was only hobbit size. He wore a grey cloak, silver scarf, grey hat, and immense grey boots. But the main thing you noticed about him were his eyebrows, which stuck out even beyond his bushy grey beard. It was Gandalf, though I didn't know it at the time. All I knew was that a tall intimidating stranger was coming to our front door. I ran to get Frodo. "Frodo, Frodo! Come quickly, there's a Big Person in the front yard! I don't know him! Please come quickly! He has big bushy eyebrows!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Said Frodo. "Wait; did you say big bushy eyebrows?"

"YES! Come quickly!"

"It's Gandalf, you ninyhammer!" Cried Frodo. "Gandalf, my old friend!" It was his turn to get excited this time.

"Wait, Gandalf?" I hesitated. "The person who found me?"

"Yes!" came the reply.

"Yes, it's Gandalf," a voice called from outside. "And if you don't let him in he'll blast your door down." When Gandalf was finally inside, he turned to me. "So you must be Brianna," he said. "You have grown since I left you here." Turning to Frodo, he said, "As for you, old friend, you look the same as ever."

"As do you." Frodo replied. "This is Brianna's birthday, so you must excuse her from much greeting, as she has a party to attend. Brianna, would you be much hurt if you and your friends played, sang, and of course ate in the garden, while Gandalf and I talked?"

"No," I answered, as I saw that he wanted to talk to Gandalf very much and Gandalf quite clearly had many things he would like to say to him. It was a wonderful night just the same. I had Merry and Pippin, Sam, Fatty, Rosie, and my special friend Lilly. We ate, played, danced, and had a wonderful time. We probably went to bed at eleven o'clock. When I woke up the next morning it was already ten. I heard voices coming from the living room, and knowing that they would stop talking if I came into the room, I hid just behind the door. (I was a very naughty girl then.) Gandalf was telling Frodo the history of a ring he called the One Ring. I am not going to recount the entire conversation here, but he basically said that Frodo would have to leave the Shire soon. Apparently Sam had been eavesdropping as well, and Gandalf had caught him at it. I almost was caught laughing when Sam was afraid that Gandalf would turn him into a toad. Anyway, the long and short of it is that Frodo and Sam are leaving for Rivendell in September. They are first going to go to Buckland, and then to Rivendell, as Frodo and Gandalf have no desire to blow a horn to announce their departure. No mention of me was made, though I'd assume that Frodo intends to bring me along to Buckland, and then leave me there. What he doesn't know is that I have heard this discussion and will not be left behind.


	2. Surprise!

Chapter 2

Several weeks later, as I was returning from picking blackberries, I came across Merry and Pippin in deep conversation.

"Sam said he is leaving in December." Said Merry.

"I know," replied Pippin low and furtively, as if he didn't want to be over heard. "But how do we know that the Enemy hasn't already found the location of the Ring, and is coming for it?"

"We don't."

Now I was greatly surprised. How on Middle-Earth did these two find out about the Ring? That is the family's best kept secret and the whole reason that Frodo is leaving the Shire. As Pippin had said, Sauron, the Enemy, who lost the Ring long ages ago, is now seeking it. Indeed he may have already found were it is. This Ring, besides having many dark powers, can turn you invisible. This can be very useful, especially if you want to disappear quickly when the Sackville-Baggins are coming up the road. I have never put it on, nor has Frodo, but old Mr. Bilbo, Frodo's uncle, used to use it all the time, or so Frodo has told me.

I ran up to Merry and Pippin. "The Ring!" I exclaimed. "How do you know about that?!"

"Ah! Brianna. So you have been eves dropping, have you? Said Merry.

"So what if I have. Why are you talking about Frodo's Ring? And how do you know of it?" I questioned angrily.

"We'd better explain it to her," Sighed Pippin to Merry. "She will find out sooner or later, and she will want to be party to it. It's like this," he said, turning to me. "We have expected Frodo to go off for some time, so Sam, Merry, and I have been keeping a watch on him. Then Sam brought us word that he is leaving in September, on his and Mr. Bilbo's birthday. So of course we are going with him. He is going to pretend to move back to Buckland. He asked Merry to find a small house or hole for him. As Merry know he'll want to leave the Shire as quickly and a quietly as possible, he has picked out a small house known as Crickhollow, close to the border. We will have everything ready for a speedy departure. If I know anything about Frodo he will want to leave as soon as he arrives. Fatty Bolger is in on this also. He will stay behind and keep up the pretence as long as possible that Frodo is still at home. We even have some old clothes of Frodo's to help him play the part. So what do you think?"

"I think it sounds great," I replied. "Though from what you have said, or rather not said, I get the feeling that you wish to leave me behind. Do you not? Because if you do, let me tell you right now that I have no intention of being left behind. I am coming with you to Rivendell." Do not look surprised," I said, when their faces clearly said, 'How do you know that we're going to Rivendell?' "I overheard Gandalf and Frodo talking in April, the day after my party. They didn't know that I listened, though.

"That is good," said Merry. "I suppose that you must come with us if you are so set on it. It is probably for the best. Sam and Frodo would miss you. So would I for that matter.

As I had read many books on the dangers in the Wild, and had listened to the stories that Frodo would tell of the journey that Mr. Bilbo took long ago to the Lonely Mountain in the North, I threw myself with vigor into learning how to use a bow. I'd always been good at throwing, having a very good aim, and so the bow can naturally to me. It quite amused Lilly that the girl who used to pick flowers with her was turning into an all out tom boy.

"Why are you doing that?" she asked me one day.

"I wish I could tell you, Lilly," I replied. "But I promised not to."

"Promised who?"

"I already told you, I can't tell you. When it's all over, I'll send you a letter and let you know all about it. Are we agreed?"

"I guess." Lilly sounded rather disappointed.

**Please review. I want to know what you think of it.**


	3. Lessons

Chapter 3

I walked with Frodo to the Green Dragon the twentieth of June. I was going to enjoy a nice chat with Rosie Cotton, and half the Hobbits in Hobbiton had asked Frodo to tell them of these strange rumors that they had heard about him selling his lovely hobbit hole, Bag End. As I settled down to help Rosie with the dishes, Frodo was surrounded by hobbits.

"See here, Mr. Frodo, are you really selling Bag End to those horrible S-Bs? Queried one old gaffer.

"Yes, indeed I am, Mr. Twofoot," Frodo replied.

"A stranger from Sarn Ford whispered to his neighbor, young Jolly Cotton, "I bet you his money ran out." This comment was supported by nods from Frodo himself.

At the end of the long night, we were both wearied, Frodo with questions and myself with dishes. As we trudged up the Hill to Bag End, we had a very strange conversation.

"Brianna, don't hid it from me. There is something troubling you." Frodo said it as a statement, not a question.

"Yes, there is," I sighed. "I want to learn Elvish, but I have no idea how to go about it. I saw in one of your books that there are two kinds, Quenya and Sindarin. I want to learn them both if I could. The problem is only that there are no Elves nearby who could teach me."

Frodo actually laughed out loud. "Have you lived all these years with me and not realized that I can speak Quenya?"

"Well," I said, rather hurt. "How could I know if there has been no occasion for me to find out?"

"You're right," said Frodo. "Tomorrow, your Quenya lessons begin. If you can fit them in around all that archery practice that you have been doing lately, that is," he added teasingly. "By the way, why are you practicing archery so much?"

"Oh, nothing," I replied, though inside me my stomach was turning summersaults.

Luckily for me, Bag End came in view down the lane, and a minute later we were both safe inside and going to bed.

Early the next morning, at about eight o'clock, (that is early for Hobbits) I bounced Frodo awake.

"Come on! Come on!" I cried. "I've made breakfast so that we can get on to learning before the Sun is high!"

All right, I'm coming," mumbled Frodo groggily. "Is there any tea?"

"Yes, mint. 'The Perfect Way to Start a Fresh New Morning.'" We both laughed at my joke. It was the thing that the old woman, who sold the already prepared tea leaves, said whenever anyone passed her stall at the market. As there are many people passing back and forth, you could hear it perpetually throughout the market place.

After enjoying a large breakfast, we buckled down to work. The first words that he taught me were the words for father, ada, mother, atara, and friend, mellon. After learning some more vocabulary, Frodo decided that I needed to learn the history of Middle-Earth. He started teaching me out of a book written by the Elves, known as the Quenta Silmarilian. When we were finished with lessons, I went out to the field beside Bag End, to practice my archery.

In late August, I was capable of carrying on a simple conversation in Quenya. (This was the extent of Frodo's knowledge) Frodo said he had never met anyone who learned so quickly. I could hit the bull's eye in the target with my arrow, and I now knew a simple overview of the history of Middle-Earth. I went one day into Frodo's study.

"Ada," I said. I now call him this. To avoid confusion, I will call him Frodo when writing, but when talking, Ada. "Ada, could I please go on a small camping trip with Lilly? I'd like to be in the woods for a couple of days. Away from all the hustle and bustle of Hobbiton."

"Certainly, Tinu, (Elvish for daughter)" he replied. "If anyone deserved a vacation after all the hard work you have been doing, you do. Besides, I know how much you love nature, and I think it will be a treat for you to get away into it. You have a week."

"Thank you, Ada! Thank you!" I cried, throwing my arms around his neck.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It may be a bit before I get the next one up, though I hope it won't be too long. Galad Estel, I have included a little in this chapter about her personality. In the next, I hope to have a dream maybe about her early childhood. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.**

**Nimrodel**


	4. Camping Trip Or Disaster?

Lily and I were sitting by the fire, staring into the flames. As we held the sausages over the heat to warm, Lily asked me a difficult question.

"Where are you going?"

Startled, I looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"You are going somewhere," she replied. "Somewhere that is not Buckland. I think you are leaving the Shire."

"I know that I said that I wouldn't tell you, but you seem to have found out quite a lot already. Just promise me you won't tell anyone else. Please!"

"I swear."

"You are right. Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam, and I are leaving for Rivendell this autumn. We will be chased, though I can't tell you why or who, because we do not want our departure noised abroad. Most certainly do not tell Frodo, as he does not know that anyone besides Sam is going with him."

"I will miss you terribly," said Lily. "Though I can see that you are determined to go."

"I am."

We fell silent for a while, and then turned in for the night. That night I had dreams of my childhood, most of which I had spent playing with Lily. She was (and is) undoubtedly my closest friend.

_It was a sunny day, the grass was emerald green, the sky blue above, and there was a soft breeze. The sun smiled to herself, as she looked down on the scene on the hilltop. She could see five hobbits, those little people with fur on their feet. Three large (not that they were very large) and two small. The three large ones were two male and a female. The female was carrying a large picnic hamper, and the two men were talking earnestly, when they weren't watching the two small girls running around. Wait, the sun looked closer, was that a small human child she saw? It most certainly was. She was slightly taller than the other one, though they had to be about the same age. 'Come on, Lily!' she called to the other one. Lily called out 'I'm coming! Slow down!' They raced about, playing a game of tag while the adults set up lunch. 'Come and eat' Mrs. Bolger called out. The two little girls raced to her. The sun expected that they stayed most of the day, but she couldn't stay to see._

I rolled over and passed into another dream.

_Two small children sat at the feet of a young hobbit. Frodo smiled as he watched the lasses rapped attention to the story that young Samwise was telling. It was one he knew well. 'And there were three, monstrous trolls! They were all arguing about how to cook poor Mr. Bilbo's traveling companions. One wanted to squash them into jelly, another wanted to boil them…' As Sam told the old tale, Frodo's mind wandered. He looked at the little ones. There could hardly be such a difference in looks, but anyone watching would have thought that they were sisters. Lilly Bolger's head rested upon his Brianna's shoulder. Their hands were clasped together tightly. 'And turned them all to stone!' Sam's voice roused him out of his reverie. As the two lasses clapped, the vision faded._

I woke up with a light fall of rain on my face. The next thing I knew was I was being rolled over by a drenched Lily.

"Brianna wake up! It's raining! We have to get under shelter! Wake up!"

I came fully into awareness at that.

"Hurry!" I cried. "We need to get my books! They will never survive this deluge."

From the expression on Frodo's face when we came in dripping wet he was greatly amused. I personally saw nothing funny in it at the time. Now that I look back on it though, I probably was rather funny. Needless to say, we did not finish our camping trip. Well, we sort of did. We had great fun for the next couple of nights on the floor of the study at Bag End. I really would miss Lilly when the time came to part.


	5. From Bag End to Crickhollow

Chapter Five

Bag End was busy that day. We have been packing all week, and most of the stuff was at Crickhollow. Merry, Fatty, (Lilly's older brother) and I left with the last cart on Frodo's birthday. Frodo, Sam, and Pippin would be going by foot. I think that Frodo's main reason for doing this was to get a last look at the Shire. We were going to try to make it to the Three Farthings Stone inn before night fall. It was a favorite of Pippin, and he had recommended it to us. About the whole of Hobbiton and Bywater came out to look at us as we pass. Everyone seemed disappointed that Frodo wasn't there. Almost all the children followed us for a mile on the road.

There is not much to tell about the road to Buckland, unless you count half of the Shire staring at us. We made the journey it two days, getting to Crickhollow a day before the others arrived.

"Brianna, Fatty and I will start unloading the things. Do you unpack them. Remember, Frodo doesn't know that we know, so try and make it look like you expect him to be here awhile," Merry called.

"All right!" I called back, as I stepped into the hall. Crickhollow was really quite a comfortable, homely place, one that I would be glad to live in. It reminded me somewhat of Bag End. I quickly ran through the low roofed house, to make sure that the major furniture, like the beds and tables, was in place. As I was on my way back to the door, I ran smack into Fatty, who was trying to tug a small end table through an even smaller door. It did not help any that he was immensely fat. We finally got that table inside, and went out for more. I took Grandma Belladonna's (as I called Bilbo's mother) best dishes inside, and proceeded to unpack them. I took care to arrange them exactly how they were at Bag End.

It took most of the day, and quite a lot of grunts from the boys, to get the rest of the furniture in, and the house arranged. By the end, we were all sweating, even though it was towards the end of September.

"We're done," sighed Merry and Fatty together. "We're finally done."

"No we aren't," I said. They looked at me in astonishment. "We still have to finish packing the bags, making supper, and drawing the water for the baths."

"What baths?" asked Merry.

"The ones that Ada, Pippin, and Sam are going to want when they come. You can get pretty dirty wandering about the woods," I replied.

"Trust a girl to think of supper and baths," groaned Fatty. "Just as we thought we were done."

"You could always go without supper, if you want to lie around," offered Merry.

"Alright," said Fatty. "But I get to cook."

As it ended up, Merry drew the bath water, Fatty made supper, and I packed. As Fatty put it, women are better at organizing and stuff. When we were done with our various chores, Merry called us all together in the living room.

"Remember," he said, as we ate our supper. "No one breaths a word that we know. We wait for him to tell us himself. Are you ready?"

"Ready!" Fatty and I said together.

"Alright," said Merry. "Now, I'm starting to worry about the others. They should have been here a good hour ago. I am going to ride out to find them. Why don't you two put the finishing touches on their supper, and clean up from ours."

"Okay!" said Fatty.

"Yes Sir!" said I. When he had gone, I turned to Fatty. "Will you give this to your sister?" I asked, handing him a letter that I had written earlier.

"Gladly," he replied. "But what is in it, if I may ask?"

"Just a little good-bye note." I answered.

"Good-bye note!" he exclaimed. "Are you going too?!"

"Yes," I said, smiling at the look of comic surprise on his face. "But please don't tell Merry, Frodo, or Pippin. Sam knows, in fact, I will be wearing some of his clothes, as I obviously can't go tramping about Middle Earth in this dress. But they will try and stop me. Please don't tell!" I begged.

"Alright, I won't, but they will not let you go willingly."

"I will follow them, unless they tie me up in a sack and put me in the cellar!" I declared, unconciously saying the very words that Pippin would later say in Rivendell.

After our conversation, we each turned to the chores that Merry had suggested that we do. Just as we were finishing up, we heard the clip-clop of a pony coming up the lane. It was Merry on his small, shaggy horse. There was a wonderful sent rising out of the basket that he carried under one arm. Fatty immediately identified it as mushrooms. With some reluctance, Merry handed over the basket to him, and the fat hobbit promptly disappeared into the kitchen.

"Well," he said cheerfully. "I found them."

"Is something wrong?" I asked him. If it weren't for his voice, I would say something had troubled his mind.

"It appears that Frodo and It are being chased even before we have left the Shire," he said. "I fear it is, no, I don't want to say. It is most certainly evil, though. It would be wise to leave here earlier than planned. Is everything ready?"

"Yes, everything."

"Good."

Just then, the sound of three pairs of hobbit feet was heard coming up the lane. I heard Pippin's voice wondering if there were any baths.

"Ada!" I cried, throwing myself into Frodo's arms.

"Brianna!" he gasped after about a minute of hug. "I'm going to have to breathe sometime!"

"Ada! It is so good to see you again! Come inside and see what I have done!"

As they came inside, Pippin cried-

"A bath! O blessed Meriadoc!"

"Which order shall we go in?" asked Frodo. "Eldest first, or quickest first? You'll be last either way, Master Peregrin."

We all laughed, before I told them that there were three bathes in that room, as well as the other bathing necessities. As the rest of us prepared for dinner, we heard snatches of song, before Pippin's voice rose loud and clear.

Sing hey! For the bath at the close of day  
that washes the weary mud away!  
A loon is he that will not sing:  
O! Water Hot is a noble thing!

O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,  
and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;  
but better than rain or rippling streams  
is Water Hot that smokes and steams.

O! Water cold we may pour at need  
down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;  
but better is Beer, if drink we lack,  
and Water Hot poured down the back.

O! Water is fair that leaps on high  
in a fountain white beneath the sky;  
but never did fountain sound so sweet  
as splashing Hot Water with my feet!

Judging by the loud Whoa! from Frodo, and the amount of water seeping under the door, a lot of Pippin's bath had imitated the fountain in the song.

When everybody was cleaned and dried, and Pippin had mopped up the floor of the wash room, (at Merry's insistence) we all sat down to dinner. First dinner for Pippin, Frodo, and Sam, second dinner for Fatty, Merry, and I. Not that we minded, of course. Especially since there were mushrooms this time. When dinner was done, Merry gave Fatty, Pippin, and I meaningful looks, and said-

"We'll clear up later. Now tell me all about it! I guess that you have been having adventures, which was not quite fair without us. I want a full account; and most of all I want to know what was the matter with old Maggot, and why he spoke to me like that. He sounded almost as if he was scared, if that is possible."

* * *

**So, how did you like it? I'm sorry that I had to leave off when I did, but it is getting late where I live, and I wanted to get this posted as soon as possible, to make up for the long wait. I will try to post once a week, but please be forgiving if I take longer. I will not be posting anything for the next week, as it will be my brother's turn with the laptop. As always, please review!**


	6. One Flabbergasted Hobbit

Chapter 6

There was a rather long pause, in which Frodo stared at the fire and said nothing. Then Pippin said-

"We have all been scarred. You would have been, too if you had been chassed for two days by Black Riders!"

"And what are they?" I asked.

"Black figures riding on black horses," replied Pippin. "If Frodo won't talk, I will tell you the whole tale from the beginning.

"We were walking down the road when we heard hooves. We thought it might be Gandalf, so we ran and hid ourselves, hoping to surprise him and pay him out for being late. It wasn't, and Frodo says that it was one of the big people, all dressed in black. Sam then told us that the same person had shown up at his hole before he had left. Sam and I did not like the sound, and Frodo did not like the look of the Man, so we walked along side of the read, about a stone's throw away, for the rest of the day.

"We ate supper that night in a large hollow oak. Then, as we were putting some miles behind us before bed, we started to sing that old walking song of Bilbo's. You know, the one that goes:  
Upon the hearth the fire is red,  
Beneath the roof there is a bed;  
But not yet weary are our feet,  
and so on. Anyway, you know the rest. At the end of the song, Frodo said he thought that he heard hooves again. Of course we hid ourselves, and this time, the Black Rider appeared to be trying to sniff us out. It started to crawl towards us, and Frodo went all weird. Just then, we heard laughter and singing. The Black Rider turned away and vanished down the other side of the lane. Sam was all for running head long into the singers, who were Elves, and would of, if Frodo and I hadn't pulled him back in time.

"They were singing a song to someone named Elbereth, and Frodo told us that they were High Elves. They seemed to know Frodo's name. They took us to a place above Woodhall, though I hadn't seen it before. I don't remember much after we got there, as I was very sleepy. I do remember the food, though. There was delicious bread, sweet, rich fruits, and the most wonderful drink; golden as a summer afternoon, cool as a clear fountain. It quite made up for missing the Golden Perch the next day. I vaguely remember Frodo and Gildor, he was the chief Elf, talking, but I must have fallen asleep, as the next thing I knew, the Elves were gone and the Sun was shining.

"I did not get much out of Frodo about what the Elves had to say about the Black Riders; the silly old hobbit actually wanted to think at breakfast.

"Against my better judgment, we took what Frodo thought to be a short-cut, trying to go straight through the woods to Bucklberry ferry.

"It was the most strenuous, muddiest trek I have ever taken, and that's counting the time I got lost in the woods for two days. What was worse, there was no way we could turn around; there was a Black Rider at our backs. When we finally stopped for lunch, and were singing again, we heard the most awful, bone-shivering scream. It chilled our blood. We hurried on immediately from the spot, coming at last to the end of the wood. It turned out we had taken a wrong turn, for we were in Farmer Maggot's fields.

"It turned out alright, though Frodo had quite a fright when Farmer Maggot set his dogs on us; before he knew we were friends. A Black Rider had been there, offering gold for news of 'Baggins.' Farmer Maggot had refused, telling him to be off, and he thought that we were the Black Rider coming back. We had dinner with him, and he told us that he guessed that all this had to do with Mr. Bilbo's treasure. After dinner, we took him up on his offer to drive us to the ferry, which is where you found us, Merry. It also explains why we were so scared of you; we thought that you were a Black Rider!"

"I should think you were making it all up, if I hadn't seen that black shape on the landing-stage – and heard that queer sound in Maggot's voice. What do you think of it all, Frodo?" asked Merry, turning to the silent hobbit beside him, who had been quiet for the whole narrative.

"Cousin Frodo has been very close," said Pippin. "But the time has come for him to open out. So far we have nothing else to go on than Farmer Maggot's guess that it has something to do with old Bilbo's treasure."

"That was only a guess," Frodo broke in hastily. "Maggot doesn't _know_ anything."

"Old Maggot is a shrewd fellow," said Merry. "A lot goes on behind his round face that does not come out in his talk. I've heard that he used to go into the Old Forest at one time, and he has the reputation of knowing a good many things. But you can at least tell us, Frodo, whether you think is guess good or bad."

I _think_," Frodo answered hesitantly. "That it was a good guess, as far as it goes. There _is_ a connection with Bilbo's old adventures, and the Riders are looking, or perhaps one ought to say _searching_, for him or for me. I also fear, if you want to know, that it is no joke at all; and that I am not safe here or anywhere else." He glanced round at the room as if he was afraid that the walls may give way and Black Riders pour into the house. In the quiet that followed we looked at him and at each other, our eyes conveying what I voiced aloud to Pippin.

"It's coming out in a minute." I breathed. Pippin nodded.

"Well!" said Frodo, after the long quiet spell, assuming a better posture, as if he had come to a decision. "I can't keep it dark any longer. I have got something to tell you all. But I don't know quite how to begin."

"I think I could help you," Merry said quietly. "By telling you some of it myself."

Frodo looked at him anxiously. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Just this, my dear old Frodo: you are miserable, because you don't know how to say good-bye. You meant to leave the Shire, of course. But dancer has come on you sooner than you expected, and now you are making up your mind to go at once. And you don't want to. We are very sorry for you."

The look of comical surprise on Frodo's face was so funny we roared with laughter. He kept opening and shutting his mouth as if he was trying to catch a bubble.

"Dear old Ada!" I said once I had gotten my breath back. "Did you really think you had thrown dust in all our eyes? You have not been nearly carful or cleaver enough for that! Merry and Pippin noticed it first. You have obviously been planning to go and saying  
farewell to all your haunts all this year since April. We have constantly heard you muttering: 'Shall I ever look down into that valley again, I wonder', and things like that. And pretending that you had come to the end of your money, and actually selling your beloved Bag End to those Sackville-Bagginses! And all those close talks with Gandalf."

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Frodo. "I thought that I had been both careful and cleaver. I don't know what Gandalf would say. Is all the Shire discussing my departure then?"

"Oh no!" denied Merry. "Don't worry about that! The secret won't keep for long, of course; but at the present it is, I think, only known to us conspirators. After all, you must remember that we know you well, and are often with you, and Brianna is with you basically all the time. We can usually guess what you are thinking. I knew Bilbo, too. To tell you the truth, I had been watching you rather closely ever since he left. I thought you would go after him sooner or later; indeed I expected you to go sooner, and lately we have been very anxious. We have been terrified that you might give us the slip, and go off suddenly, all on your own like he did. Ever since this spring we have kept our eyes open, and done a good deal of planning on our own account. You are not going to escape so easily!"

"But I must go," insisted Frodo. "It cannot be helped, dear friends. It is wretched for us all, but it is no using your trying to keep me. Since you have guessed so much, please help me and do not hinder me!"

"You do not understand!" said Pippin. "You must go – and therefore we must, too. Merry, Brianna, and I are coming with you. Sam is an excellent fellow, and would jump down a dragon's throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet; but you will need more than one companion in our dangerous adventure."

"You know I am coming too!" I cried in shock. "And here I thought that I would have to beg and plead and follow to be allowed to come!"

"My dear girl!" Merry said, laughing. "You told us yourself, when you over heard us talking."

"My dear and most beloved friends!" interrupted Frodo, looking deeply moved. "But I could not allow it, especially Brianna. I decided that long ago, too. You speak of dancer, but you do not understand. This is not treasure-hunt, no there-and-back journey. I am flying from deadly peril into deadly peril."

"Of course we understand," corrected Merry firmly. "That is why we have decided to come. We know the Ring is no laughing-matter; but we are going to do our best to help you against the Enemy."

If Frodo was amazed before, it was nothing compared to now. "The Ring!" he gasped.

"Yes, the Ring," said Merry. "My dear hobbit, you don't allow for the inquisitiveness of friends. I have known about the existence of the Ring for years – before Bilbo went away, in fact; but since he obviously regarded it as secret. I kept the knowledge in my head until we formed our conspiracy. I did not know Bilbo, of course, as well as I know you; I was too young, and he was also more careful – but he was not careful enough. If you want to know how I first found out, I will tell you."

"Go on!" said Frodo weakly. He looked as if he was about to faint.

"It was the Sackville-Bagginses that ere his downfall, as you might expect. One day, a year before the Party, I happened to be walking along the road, when I saw Bilbo ahead. Suddenly in the distance the S.-B.s appeared, coming towards us. Bilbo slowed down, and then hey presto! He vanished. I was so startled that I hardly had the wits to hide myself in a more ordinary fashion; but I go through the hedge and walked along the field inside. I was peeping through into the road, after the S.-B.s had gone by, and was looking straight at Bilbo when he suddenly reappeared. I caught the glint of gold as he put something back in his trouser pocket.

"After that I kept my eyes open. In fact, I confess that I spied. But you must admit that it was very intriguing, and I was only in my teens. I must be the only one in the Shire, besides you Frodo, that has ever seen the old fellow's secret book."

"You have read his book! Good heavens above! Is nothing safe?" asked Frodo.

"Not too safe, I should say," replied Merry. "But I have only had one rapid glance, and that was difficult to get. He never left the book about. I wonder what became of it. I should kike another look. Have you got it, Frodo?"

"No, it was not at Bag End, and it is not here, to the best of my knowledge," I replied for said hobbit. "I think that Mr. Bilbo took it away with him."

"Well, as I was saying," Merry continued, "I kept my knowledge to myself, till this Spring, when things got serious. Then we formed our conspiracy; and as we were serious, too, and meant business, we have not been too scrupulous. You are not an easy nut to crack, and Gandalf is worse. But if you want to be introduced to our chief investigator, I can produce him."

"Where is he?" asked Frodo, quite clearly looking around for a masked, sinister figure to step out of nowhere.

"Step forward, Sam!" I exclaimed. Sam stood up, with a face the color of poppies, all the way to the roots of his hair. "Here's our collector of information! And he collected quite a lot, I can tell you, before he was finally caught. After which, I may say, he seemed to regard himself as on parole, and dried up. Then I had to do much of the spying on my own."

"Sam!" gasped Frodo, who looked as if he couldn't make up his mind to feel angry, amused, relieved, or foolish.

"Yes, sir!" said Sam. "Begging your pardon, sir! But I meant no wrong to you, Mr. Frodo, nor to Mr. Gandalf for that matter. _He_ has some sense, mind you; and when you said _go alone,_ he said _no! take someone as you can trust."_

"But it does not seem that I can trust anyone," said Frodo unhappily.

"It all depends on what you want," said Merry. "You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin – to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours – closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. Anyway: there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the Ring. We are horribly afraid – but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds."

"After all, sir," put in Sam, "you did ought to take the Elves' advice. Gildor said you should take them as was willing, and you can't deny it." Sam was grinning now.

"I don't deny it," said Frodo, glancing at Sam. "I don't deny it, but I'll never believe you are sleeping again, whether you snore or not. I shall kick you hard to make sure.

"You are a set of deceitful scoundrels!" said he, turning to the rest of us. "But bless you!" He was laughing now, as were the rest of us. "I give in. I will take Gildor's advice. If the danger were not so dark, I should dance for joy. Even so, I cannot help feeling happy; happier than I have felt for a long time. I had dreaded this evening."

"Good! That's settled. Three cheers for Captain Frodo and company!" I cried, as we all danced around him. Pippin, Merry, and I began to sing a song we had written for this occasion. We had made it on the model of the dwarf-song from Bilbo's adventures. It went to the same tune.

Farewell we call to hearth and hall!  
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,  
We must away ere break of day  
Far over wood and mountain tall.

To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell  
In glades beneath the misty fell,  
Through moor and waste we ride in haste,  
And whither then we cannot tell.

With foes ahead, behind us dread,  
Beneath the sky shall be our bed,  
Until at last our toil be passed,  
Our journey done, our errand sped.

We must away! We must away!  
We ride before the break of day!

"Very good!" said Frodo. "But in that case there are a lot of things to do before we go to bed – under a roof, for tonight at any rate."

"Oh! That was poetry!" I exclaimed.

"Do you really mean to start before the break of day?" added Pippin.

"I don't know," replied Frodo. "I fear those Black Riders, and I am sure it is unsafe to stay in one place for long, especially in a place to which it is know I was going. Also Gildor advised me not to wait. But I should very much like to see Gandalf. I could see that even Gildor was disturbed when he heard that Gandalf had never appeared. It really depends on two things. How soon could the Riders get to Bucklebury? And how soon could we get off? It will take a good deal of preparation.

"The answer to the second question," I said, "is that we could get off in an hour. Merry and I have prepared practically everything. There are six ponies in a stable across the fields; stores and tackle are all packed, except for a few extra clothes, and the perishable food."

"It seems to have been a very efficient conspiracy," remarked Frodo. "But what about the Black Riders? Would it be safe to wait one day for Gandalf?" he asked.

"That all depends on what you think the Riders would do, if they found you here," replied Merry. "They _could_ have reached here by now, of course, if you were not stopped at the North-gate, where the hedge runs down to the river-bank, just this side of the Bridge. The gate-guards would not let them through by night, though they might break through. Even in the daylight they would try to keep them out, I think, at any rate until they got a message through to the Master of the Hall – for they would not like to look of the Riders, and would certainly be frightened by them. But, of course, Buckland cannot resist a determined attack for long. And it is possible that in the morning even a Black Rider that rode up and asked for Mr. Baggins would be let through. It is pretty generally known that you are coming back to live at Crickhollow."

There was a pause; Frodo looked as if he was in deep thought.

"I have made up my mind," he said after a while. "I am starting tomorrow, as soon as it is light. But I am not going by road: it would be safer to wait here than that. If I go through the North-gate my departure from Buckland will be known at once, instead of being secret for several days at least, as it might be. And what is more, the Bridge and the East Road near the borders will certainly be watched, whether any Rider gets into Buckland or not. We don't know how many there are; but there are at least two, and possibly more. The only thing to do is to go off in a quite unexpected direction."

Fatty gasped. "But that can only mean going into the Old Forest!" he sounded horrified. "You can't be thinking of doing that. It is quite as dangerous as the Black Riders!"

"Not quite," corrected Merry. "It sounds very desperate, but I believe Frodo is right, it is the only way of getting off without being followed at once. With luck we might get a considerable start."

"But you won't have any luck in the Old Forest," argued Fatty. "No one ever has luck in there. You'll get lost. People don't go in there."

"Oh yes they do!" exclaimed Merry. "The Brandybucks go in – occasionally when the fit takes them. We have a private entrance. Frodo went in once, long ago, I have been in several times: usually in daylight, of course, when the trees are sleepy and fairly quiet."

"Well, do as you think best!" said Fatty stubbornly. "I am more afraid of the Old Forest than of anything I know about: the stories about it are a nightmare; but my vote hardly counts, as I am not going on the journey. Still, I am very glad someone is stopping behind, who can tell Gandalf what you have done, when he turns up, as I am sure he will before long."

"You are staying behind?" asked Frodo curiously.

"Yes," he said. "I shall wait for Gandalf, and try to pretend that you are living here. I even have some of your cloths, obtained with Brianna's help, to play the part. I am not made for adventures, and would greatly miss my six or seven meals a day."

"Excellent!" said Frodo. "We could not have left any message behind for Gandalf otherwise. I don't know whether these Riders can read or not, of course, but I should not have dared to risk a written message, in case they got in and searched the house. But if Fatty is willing to hold the fort, and I can be sure of Gandalf knowing the way we have gone, that decides me. I am going into the Old Forest first thing tomorrow."

"Well, that's that," declared Pippin. "On the whole I would rather have our job than Fatty's – waiting here till Black Riders come."

"You wait till you are well inside the Forest," said Fatty darkly. "You'll wish you were back here with me before this time tomorrow."

"It's no good arguing about it anymore," I said. "We have still got to tidy up and put the finishing touches to the packing, before we get to bed."

With that, we all went off to do what I had just said, before we turned in, though, Merry told us that he would wake us before the break of day.

**A/N: Someone has been asking me to change Brianna's age. He wanted me to make her nineteen. I will not be doing this, as to make it plausible for Gandalf to have given her to Frodo, the oldest she could have been was elven. I want her to have no memory of her old life, in fact, I haven't decided on a back story as to why Gandalf found an abandoned child in the Shire, so please give me ideas. Also, as I stated in my summery, I haven't decided whether she will be a tenth walker. I have created a poll, so please let me know what you think. Three more reasons Brianna can't be nineteen. One, I am thirteen, and have absolutely no idea how nineteen year olds act. Two, she needs to be the size of Hobbits, who are described as looking like lads of about nine summers. Three, it is plain silly for a child to fall in love with anybody, so I will avoid that problem. As always, please review!  
Estelio Eru,****Nimrodel**


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